P.S. X088 - S. Silverstein Little Sparrow School

ELA proficiency of 72% is dramatically above the District 9 average of 45% — this is genuinely one of the strongest reading performances in the district. The trajectory is striking: ELA nearly tripled from 28% in 2016, with a particularly steep jump in the past two years. Math tells a more modest story at 44%, essentially at the district average (45%), with growth that has been real but slower. After a pandemic-era dip in 2022, the school has rebounded faster than most of its peers.

Daily attendance runs slightly above the district average at 92%, but chronic absenteeism affects 70% of students — a serious challenge that families should know about. On every survey dimension the school posts strong numbers: 100% of teachers rate instruction quality positively, parent-principal trust sits at 93%, and teacher-reported safety is 88% (above the district's 83%). The discipline picture is exceptionally calm — zero suspensions for three consecutive years. Caveat: survey responses were small (7 teachers, 17 families), so the strong results carry some statistical uncertainty.

The student body is 72% Hispanic and 26% Black, closely mirroring the surrounding Mount Eden-Claremont neighborhood. With just 87 students total, every classroom is small enough that teachers likely know each child by name, and 18% of students have IEPs. Economic need is extremely high (94th percentile), and PTA fundraising totals only $3 per student — well below the district average of $4.43 — reflecting the real financial constraints families face.

Mount Eden-Claremont is a working-class Bronx neighborhood where median household income sits around $45,000 and roughly a third of residents live below the poverty line. Homeownership is rare (just 4%), and only 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — this is a neighborhood where many families rent and face day-to-day economic pressures. Still, nearly one in five households includes children, meaning there are plenty of school-age kids around.

The 170 St station on the B and D lines is about a four-minute walk; the 4 train at the same station and the B and D at 167 St are both about a seven-minute walk.